Bowling Green is growing like crazy. Every month it seems like there’s a new subdivision, a new road project, a new box store (yuck, and they sure are boxy). We love to cut ribbons and pat ourselves on the back. But here’s the brutal truth: the biggest investment we can make isn’t in asphalt or chain restaurants. It’s in the kids sitting in our classrooms right now.
And we’re not doing nearly enough; the federal and state governments will not save us.
We Already Know It Works
The Gatton Academy is a gem. It takes some of the best and brightest in Kentucky and gives them the keys to WKU’s labs, professors, and opportunities. The Center for Gifted Studies? Another national model that shows what happens when kids are treated like they matter before they hit college and even middle school.
And it’s not just STEM. The WKU Strings Academy has given kids in Bowling Green a path into music excellence for years. ART Matters with Teresa Christmas proves that when you hand a child a brush, clay, or canvas, you’re not just filling time you’re growing thinkers and dreamers.
These programs work. They’re the proof.
But Here’s the Problem
They’re too small. Too boutique. Too elite. For every kid who makes it into Gatton, there are dozens more in Bowling Green Independent and Warren County schools who could thrive if given the same shot. For every student in Strings Academy or ART Matters, there are hundreds who simply can’t afford it.
The brutal truth? Bowling Green runs talent like a lottery instead of a pipeline. If you’re lucky, you get in. If not, tough. And that’s insane, because every time we leave kids out, WKU loses potential researchers, local businesses lose future leaders, and the whole city loses the next generation of problem-solvers.
WKU Needs This More Than Anyone
Let’s be honest: WKU has to decide if it wants to be more than a “nice regional school.” Right now, it under-leverages the biggest resource sitting at its doorstep: thousands of smart, hungry, diverse kids in BGISD and Warren County.
The Gatton Academy proves WKU can give high schoolers real university-level work. But why stop at a handful? Why not create formal partnerships that embed dozens, even hundreds, of students into labs, studios, and research projects? Flood studies. Tornado modeling. Public health. Logistics. App design. Music composition. WKU has the capacity. What’s missing is the will.
Sports Aren’t the Only Game in Town
We love our travel teams. Friday night lights, travel baseball, cheer competitions, all admirable. Sports teach teamwork, grit, and pride. But here’s the hard truth: our kids are far more likely to “go pro” in engineering, healthcare, logistics, design, or the arts than the NBA or NFL.
And yet look where our money and attention go. New ballfields get built faster than new labs. A kid signing a college sports letter of intent gets a front page; a kid winning an academic competition gets a polite pat on the back. That imbalance tells kids exactly what we value. And it’s dangerous.
Our Immigrant Families Are Already Leading
Here’s another truth Bowling Green doesn’t like to say out loud: our immigrant families are helping keep this city alive. They’re opening restaurants, groceries, shops. Their kids are excelling in math competitions, orchestra, academic teams. They’re not just “fitting in.” They’re making Bowling Green stronger.
If we don’t fully embrace those students, give them the same access to WKU labs and mentorships as anyone else, we’re not just short-changing them. We’re short-changing ourselves. We should have more collaboration with local businesses mentoring these young minds to see if business leadership is in their future.
The Call
Bowling Green can keep reacting to growth, another subdivision here, another road there, or it can plan for the future. And the future are those kids we ignore.
So let’s brag on Gatton and Gifted Studies. Let’s celebrate Strings Academy and ART Matters. Then let’s stop acting like they’re enough. They’re the start. Now it’s time to expand, replicate, and open doors wide. Give those programs more money so they can expand.
Because land runs out. Kids don’t. And if we keep treating them like an afterthought, don’t be surprised when they take their talent and our community’s future somewhere else.